CSI: Toronto
by Apollymi
Summary: In which everyone is human, but crime still has to be fought. (AU, semi-police procedural, eventual slash, all human cast)
1. Prologue A

**CSI: Toronto**  
Prologue A  
by Apollymi

**Word Count:** 627**  
Genre: **All-human alternate universe  
**Cowritten with: **Katsuko**  
Author's Note:** _Forever Knight_ belongs to Columbia/Tristar and all other associated copyright holders. I do own the storyline, such that it is, though. So the moral of this story is: Mine, steal, die.

* * *

"Javier?" Tracy asked, the word little more than a whine at this point. The pair of them had been moving boxes for hours now. Thankfully, though, they were on the last load. It had been one hell of a day - and in just a few hours, they were both supposed to report in for work.

"Yeah?" If there was any consolation to be had here, it was the fact that he sound every bit as tired as she felt. Tonight at work was going to be a slice of raw hell, she could see that now.

"Your next boyfriend is going to have to move in with us. I am not moving you again."

He shrugged slightly, like the small movement hurt. That would be his own fault for trying to do all the heavy lifting. At least this was the last of the boxes, she reminded herself; their SUV wasn't going to hold much more. "If it makes it any better, he's already seeing someone else."

If she wasn't as exhausted as she was, she probably would have growled. As it was, she managed a groan. "He'd better hope he doesn't run into me when I'm drunk." Or behind the wheel of a car. Or carrying her service weapon. Or, well, at all. It wasn't like it would be the first time she had beaten one of his exes, like it wasn't like he hadn't done the same to one of of these days - or nights now, she supposed - people were going to learn not to cross the pair of them.

She started, just a bit, as he slammed the SUV's cargo area closed. "If it wasn't your first night on graveyard shift, I'd say call out tonight," he commented dryly. With no more than a gesture from him, she dug the keys out of her jeans pocket and tossed them over to him. If he thought he was in better shape to drive, she wasn't going to argue. "How long until you're due in?"

She checked her watch and groaned again. "Three hours." It would be just long enough to unload the SUV back at the house, both of them grab much needed showers, eat, and head in to work. Personally, going to sleep for about two full days sounded good to her, but that wasn't going to be happening now, more was the shame. Besides... "It's not like you can call out anyway, Javi. You haven't even been at this job two weeks yet."

And she wasn't sure if it was the hand of fate or the hand of having a police commissioner for a father that had gotten her transfer to night shift pushed through so quickly. As it had turned out, there had been a detective looking to transfer to days to spend more time with his kid or something. It had worked out well enough for them to permanently switch shifts, him inheriting her former partner and her getting his.

Not that she could remember the name of the guy she had switched with or the name of the guy who was going to be her partner starting tonight right now. In fact, right now, she wasn't too sure she remembered her own name. Javier probably wasn't much better; he probably didn't remember the name of the ex he'd just broken off with... and it wasn't like she was going to commit it to memory at this point. For now, he would just have to be Mister Formerly A Seven.

Maybe they could both catch a break and it be a quiet night in both the morgue and the station. Of course, now she had just jinxed them both and they'd both be slammed.

Well, either way, they'd handle it. They were good at that after all.

* * *

**06 January 2014**

This is the first story I finished for 2014. I waited to upload it, however, until Katsuko finished Prologue A.

Yes, it is an all-human AU. Yes, there may be police procedural stuff if I can find my reference books for that. Yes, it likely will contain slash. Yes, it is me writing, so it will focus more on characters than actions. And yes, I made Tracy and Vachon into step-siblings; I always got more of a big brother-little sister vibe from them than actual romance.

See you in the next part!  
Apollymi


	2. Prologue B

**CSI: Toronto**  
Prologue B  
by Katsuko

**Word Count:** 839**  
Genre: **All-human alternate universe  
**Cowritten with: **Apollymi**  
Author's Note:** _Forever Knight_ belongs to Columbia/Tristar and all other associated copyright holders. I do own the storyline, such that it is, though. So the moral of this story is: Mine, steal, die.

* * *

Nick Knight was currently thanking any possible god that there may be for the fact that the chief (seriously, bless that man) had given him a night off work before saddling him with a new partner. His previous partner, Don Schanke, had just transferred to the day shift and was inheriting said new partner's own previous partner.

At the moment, both men were sitting outside the dance studio where Schanke's daughter, Jenny, would be leaving class shortly and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Nick was downing the stuff because he was back on shift this evening and had - naturally - spent the day unable to fall asleep, whereas Schanke was trying to get his energy levels up enough to handle the four year old tornado that was very shortly to blow through the door.

"Enjoying the father-daughter time yet?" Nick asked, glancing at his friend out of the corner of his eye and grinning into his coffee as Schanke's expression brightened.

"It's definitely different," the older man replied, his voice cheerful. "I've gotten so used to waking her up in the morning before face-planting into bed and seeing her for about a minute before heading to work that it'll take me a bit to get used to coming home around the same time as her and actually getting to spent time with my girls."

Nick's grin turned into something a bit playful as he asked, "So Myra's happy about your transfer, then?" He snickered at Schanke's serious expression, and laughed when his friend couldn't maintain the stern look for more than ten seconds before grinning himself.

"Let's just say the possibility of Jenny getting that little brother or sister she's been asking for since her last birthday has significantly increased" was all Schanke had to say on the subject. "But I do love getting some one-on-one Jenny time. I'm thinking of taking her to the park tomorrow afternoon. I'll be off around two or so, and Jenny's preschool lets out at three. Right now she loves the idea of me getting to go to all the places she usually goes to with Mommy."

The younger man nodded, taking another sip of coffee. "Sounds like a fun afternoon," he remarked. "While you two are out, maybe Myra and I will fool around a little." He actually choke on his drink when Schanke slowly turned to give him an unamused look and backtracked quickly. "Sorry, sorry, that was a joke. A really, _really_ bad joke."

Schanke maintained the expression for another thirty seconds before breaking into a grin. "Yeah, it _was_ pretty bad, Nicky. Especially since Myra's nowhere _near_ your type."

Nick blinked and felt his expression go blank for a moment. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Myra's gorgeous."

"Myra's also a bit too female for your tastes," the older man replied. He snickered at his former partner's gobsmacked expression before adding, "Seriously, Nick, it doesn't take a detective to figure out that you prefer your significant others to be of the masculine persuasion."

"I've dated women!" the younger immediately protested, feeling his face heat up. "Tons, actually."

Schanke gave him the same _'cut the bullshit'_ expression that was generally reserved for perps they questioned back at the station. "The last woman I know you dated was Natalie Lambert from the coroner's office," he said, "and that was five years ago. I also remember you saying she was the wrong kind of crazy for you to deal with, shortly after which you introduced her to your best friend from the radio station."

Nick deflated and gave Schanke a pout that he knew didn't really help his argument any. "In my defense, Lucien's crazy meshes pretty damned well with Nat's."

"Thank God I won't ever have to listen to those radio shows again," Schanke sighed. "I pity your new partner. I get the feeling the first time she hears the 'Night Crawler'," and yep, there were the air quotes, "she'll insist on driving to the radio station and putting him out of everyone's misery."

Nick snorted. "And get away with it. Seriously, though, Schank, who did I piss off in a past life to get saddled with the _Commissioner's daughter_ for my new partner?"

"Everybody," the older man replied dryly. Anything else he would have said was cut off by the door opening and several four to six year olds pouring out; a tiny brunette with a curly pixie cut darted out between two taller girls and raced over to the bench to climb on Schanke's lap with an enthusiastic _"Papa!"_

"Hey, princess," Nick said, grinning as Jenny turned a bright smile his way. "How was class?"

"Fun, Uncle Nick," the little girl replied even as she cuddled into her father's lap. "We learned to pri-oh-et today!"

Schanke chuckled and kissed his girl's hair. "Then you'll definitely have to show me and Mommy tonight, yeah?" Jenny nodded, and the man stood easily, hefting the girl on his hip and turning to his friend. "Well, we'll be headed off then. Good luck tonight, Nick."

Nick stood as well and smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Schank. I might just need it."

* * *

**16 January 2014**

I'm not sure what, if anything, Katsuko wants said here, but here is her half of the prologue to _CSI: Toronto_.

I will say that we both love Schanke and actively sought out a way to keep him alive for this AU 'verse. Switching to day shit to spend more time with Myra and Jenny works as far as we're concerned.

See you in the next chapter!  
Apollymi (for Katsuko)


End file.
